Matsushima Futagojima
1933
Kawase Hasui, a master of the Shin-hanga or 'New Print' movement, captures the ethereal beauty of Matsushima Bay under a full moon in this 1933 woodblock print. The scene is bathed in varying shades of indigo and blue, creating a tranquil night where the moonlight reflects like a shimmering silver path across the water. Notice the tiny boat drifting near the rocky island on the right—it adds a sense of scale and quiet solitude to the vast landscape. Hasui was known as a 'traveler artist,' journeying across Japan to document its traditional scenery just as the country was rapidly modernizing.
- Technique
- Woodblock print